![]() Other research, including a 2015 analysis in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, has shown that soothing music may have that same effect. Several apps try to do that, either with music or “white noise,” such as the sounds of a fan, ocean waves, or even a steadily moving train.Įxamples of this type are Relaxing Music: Sleep Sounds, Relaxing Music to Sleep, and Relax Melodies, White Noise Generator, myNoise and the White Noise apps.Ī 2016 Consumer Reports survey of people with sleep problems found that those who tried white-noise machines said the devices did help them sleep. It makes sense that you’ll sleep better if you can block out annoying noise, like a neighbor’s barking dog or your teenager’s rowdy sleepover, Khosla says. Here’s a guide to the different types of sleep apps available, and expert advice on how to get the most from each. (Read more about how to protect your digital privacy.) ![]() And be aware that as entertainment devices, these apps are not subject to the same privacy protections as you expect with healthcare providers. For example, a white-noise or guided imagery app doesn’t need a list of your contacts, your photos, or your location. So if you do use a sleep app, be sure to keep the phone face down so the light doesn’t bother you, and keep it in airplane mode so you won’t get calls or texts, says Brynn Dredla, M.D., a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.įinally, as with any app, check the permissions in its settings to see if it collects any personal information that you are uncomfortable sharing or that isn’t needed for the app to function properly. In addition to limited research and lack of government oversight, some experts worry that cell phones themselves can harm sleep, because people bring the devices to bed to check email and social media. He says his company hasn’t sought FDA approval in part because it lacks the resources but also because as a libertarian, he doesn’t “believe in institutional regulations.” Petr Nalevka, the founder of Urbandroid, which developed Sleep as Android, says the app’s “sleep score”-a measure of sleep duration, irregularity, time in deep sleep, and more-is modeled after the reputable Pittsburgh Sleep Score. And she points out that the fine print on most apps say that they are marketed as “entertainment” or “lifestyle” apps, not medical devices, meaning that their effectiveness hasn’t been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Seema Khosla, M.D., medical director of the North Dakota Center for Sleep in Fargo and the lead author of a 2018 position statement on sleep apps from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, says that most of the research on the apps is preliminary at best. One app, Sleep as Android, has been downloaded more than 18 million times since 2010. And sleep apps are booming: Downloads of several of them increased 20 percent in the past year, according to the mobile insights and data platform App Annie. With so many of us connected to our phones all day, it was inevitable that we would turn to our devices at night, too. “He came down in the morning and said, ‘That was great. She recently lent her cell phone to her 12-year-old son, who was having difficulty unwinding. Now when she wakes too early, Shaw reaches for her phone (volume set low, to not disturb her spouse) and is soon back in dreamland. Shaw paid $1.99 to download it, and quickly took to the calming voice reassuring her that all she needed to do was relax. Then her aunt, a fellow middle-of-the-night insomniac, recommended a cell-phone app called Relax & Rest Guided Meditations. For years, Elizabeth Shaw woke up in the middle of the night, her mind ablaze with worries or to-dos.
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